Local teens rise well before dawn to skate, swim, squeeze in extra class

Monday

Jan 20, 2014 at 10:45 PM

By Amber Campbell and Taylor MuellerVoice Staff Writers

Bailey Manuel wakes up at 4:15 a.m. to get to ice skating practices during the week.

While it’s not unusual for teenagers to go to bed late and get up early, some area students, including Bailey, are waking up extra early for practices, classes and other commitments. While there is concern about teens waking up so early, area students say they’re working to balance school and extracurricular commitments with getting enough sleep.

A sophomore at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, Bailey has been skating with the Springfield Figure Skating Club for seven years and has attended morning practices for five of those seasons. Skating is year-round, so skaters practice year-round.

During the week, Bailey is at the rink by 5:15 a.m. and on Saturdays she’s there by 5:30 a.m.

Sacred Heart’s first-hour classes begin at 8 a.m.

To accommodate for her early wakeup calls, the teen spends less time with her friends. She goes to bed very early to make sure her schoolwork isn’t affected by her commitment to skating.

“Having to go to bed early and not being able to stay up like most of my friends, and on Friday nights not being able to hang out with my friends (is a downside to morning practice),” Bailey said.

But, there are perks.

“You have more time after school because you got your practices over with in the morning. You have time to do homework after school, and I can join clubs after school. Plus, there’s not as many people at the rink in the mornings, so it’s easier to get work done,” Bailey said.

Sleep vs. activity

Figure skaters aren’t the only high school students who have morning practice. Many other athletic teams use the early morning hours.

The athletes from Springfield’s YMCA SPY Swim Team can select pre-dawn workouts. Morning practices at the YMCA are available three times a week for about one hour per session, beginning at 6 a.m. This gives the swimmers who attend the workouts an hour to change and get to school.

Glenwood High School junior cross country runner Erica Rideout has participated in early morning practices that started well before Glenwood’s 8 a.m. first hour bell.

“Being sweaty was always a concern for me on days we ran before school. Luckily, I would have time to shower some days before classes started,” Erica said.

In addition, it’s hard for teens with these early hours to get enough sleep.

“Getting up early caused me to be more tired so it was harder to focus during school and on homework that night,” Erica said.

That has researchers concerned because teens’ biological clocks seemed to be set later in the day than younger kids or adults.

“Research in the 1990s found that later sleep and wake patterns among adolescents are biologically determined; the natural tendency for teenagers is to stay up late at night and wake up later in the morning. This research indicates that school bells that ring as early as 7 a.m. in many parts of the country stand in stark contrast with adolescents’ sleep patterns and needs,” according to the National Sleep Foundation.

In August, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan promoted later high school start times.

SHG is among many schools that have a “zero hour” — classes that start at 7 a.m. “Zero hour” classes allow students eager to earn math credits to take algebra before regular school hours begin.

“Although getting up early was not ideal, taking the class has really paid off in my high school career. I’m now able to take advanced classes so it’s like I’m a year ahead of where I’m supposed to be in mathematics,” said SHG junior Emma Powell.

Amber Campbell is a senior at Tri-City High School. Taylor Mueller is a junior at Glenwood High School.